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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
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A highly disturbing scene hit AXS TV on Friday night at RFA 14 in the Flyweight Title bout between Matt Manzanares and Junior Maranhao. In between the fourth and fifth rounds of the fight, which took place in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Maranhao collapsed on his stool, blacking out and face planting to the mat.
Not only was the fight allowed to continue, it continued off the gross negligence of his corner, the cageside doctor, and the promoters themselves. It also started with the incompetence of the bout's referee.
Late in the fourth round of the fight, the bout was on the ground with Maranhao in top position. The referee stepped in and used the words "stop" as if to stand them up, which caused Maranhao to sit up. At the same moment, Manzanares got his legs into position for the triangle, and instead of stopping them as he'd just moved to do, the referee allowed things to continue.
Maranhao didn't submit, but got choked by the tightened hold to close out the round. As he got back to his stool, he just passed out and sprawled face first on the mat for a few seconds. Instead of expressing concern with his well-being and halting the fight, his cornerman got him back to his stool and tried to get his head back into it.
At this point, the cageside doctor came in to the mix. However, instead of actually checking on Maranhao and then halting the fight himself after Maranhao had passed out, the doctor asked one of the cornermen if he was alright, patted him on the back, and walked out of the cage. Maranhao was then tossed back out there for another five minute round.
Commentators Pat Miletich and Michael Schiavello couldn't believe the doctor's actions, with Miletich adding in, "This is how bad things happen."
Fighters collapsing either in the cage or after the fight can oftentimes be a precursor to something worse, and in all combat sports it's important to look out for the safety of the competitors. That wasn't done on Friday's card. See for yourself in the embedded video at the end of this piece.
- Penick's Analysis: What happened last night was infuriating. It was completely unacceptable and we have to simply hope that Maranhao winds up alright after what happened. That's the type of situation which has ultimately led to fighter death in combat sports, and everyone involved is culpable if something worse comes from that. From the unbelievably negligent doctor to a ridiculous corner to RFA officials themselves for not stepping in and bringing a halt to that fight, they're all responsible if anything worse happens to Maranhao this week. It goes back to the larger discussion of fighter safety we've been having recently, and this is so egregious it's shocking that it actually happened on a televised card like this. But when a fighter can't save himself, the corner has to, or the doctor has to, and they certainly can't send someone back out for another round after they've collapsed on their stool. That type of negligence will get someone killed on a major event, which in turn will be a massive blow to the sport. It's already an inherently dangerous and violent sport, it doesn't need to be made more barbaric.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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